The tech executive who has been arrested for the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee can be named as 38-year-old Berkeley graduate, Nima Momeni.
Momeni was arrested today at his home in Emeryville, around nine miles from where Lee was stabbed to death on April 4. He is the owner of Expand IT, a tech business in the Bay Area, and describes himself online as a start-up entrepreneur.
Lee was stabbed in the street last week while visiting the city from Miami, where he lived.
It is unclear if Momeni attended the same tech conference Lee was in town for, but the pair were seen in Momeni’s car together at around 2.30am, moments before the stabbing.
They had some kind of confrontation that led to the attack, according to police sources.
Nima Momeni, 38, has been arrested for the stabbing murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee
An arrest has been made in the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee, who was stabbed to death in San Francisco on April 4
Momeni was taken into custody this morning at the loft where he lives and works.
Neighbors confirmed his arrest to DailyMail.com on Thursday.
Public relations expert Sam Singer told DailyMail.com Momeni lived and worked out of the ‘high end premiere loft’ in the Beslar Building in Emeryville.
Momeni’s alleged motive remains unclear
Singer said that he met the suspect shortly after moving into the building.
‘We were moving in and his door was open, we went in and introduced ourselves.
‘Nima very kindly welcomed us into his unit and showed us around.
‘He’s got a big pool table with a lot of tech equipment, a lot of gourmet food, big stereo speakers and he was very, very welcoming, very kind.’
‘He was quite, quite impressive, very nice fella and so it’s shocking to me as well as all the residents in the building that he’s accused of the murder.’
Singer went on to call Momeni a ‘very bright’ and ‘charming’, adding that he would ‘fit in at anybody’s party or event.’
Another neighbor told The Daily Beast they awoke to the sound of loud banging on Thursday morning as police swooped on Momeni’s unit at dawn.
‘I poked my head out there were bunch of armed guys, three or four armed guys at the end of the corridor.
‘And then they [said], ‘Get back into your room,’” the neighbor said.
Nima Momeni was arrested at his loft (pictured) in Emeryville this morning
Lee with his ex-wife Krista. She said the arrest today was the ‘first step towards justice’ but still does not explain his death
Lee with one of his children. The 43-year-old had moved from San Francisco to Miami in October 2022, but returned for a conference
Lee lived in Mill Valley, a suburb north of San Francisco, with his family before moving to Miami in October last year.
Krista Lee, who was previously married to him, told local site Fox News 2 that she remains perplexed at the suspect’s motive, but that the pair knew each other.
Lee somehow staggered out of the car and was picked up on surveillance footage struggling to walk nearby after the attack.
The harrowing surveillance footage shows Lee stumbling through the city streets after being stabbed. He died in the hospital later that morning.
Lee’s death was invoked as the latest example of escalating crime in the Democrat city and led to increased criticism of Mayor London Breed.
Over the weekend, she told residents not to ‘jump to conclusions’ about his death and said people ‘will be surprised when the facts come out’.
A day after Lee’s death, a former fire commissioner was attacked in the street outside his mother’s house. A 24-year-old man has been arrested in that case.
The fire commissioner said the incident and Lee’s death were proof of San Francisco’s escalating crime problem.
Lee’s father, Rick, previously paid tribute to him on social media, describing him as his ‘best friend’.
Lee is shown stumbling into an apartment building after being stabbed on April 4
Lee was stabbed to death last week while visiting San Francisco. Above, his final movements
San Francisco Mayor London Breed this weekend urged people not to ‘jump to conclusions’ about the high profile murder, and said people would be ‘surprised’ when the facts come out’
They moved from San Francisco to Miami as a family recently.
While Krista and Bob were no longer together, she too relocated to Florida to be close with their children.
‘I just lost my best friend, my son Bob Lee when he lost his life on the street in San Francisco.
‘I moved to Mill Valley, CA with Bob after his mother died in 2019 and we recently relocated to Miami in Oct 2022.
‘Life has been an adventure with two bachelors living together, and I’m so happy that we were able to become so close these last years.
‘Bob would give you the shirt off his back.
‘He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy.
‘Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known.
‘He will be missed by all those that knew him. Thank you to those who have reached out in support,’ he said.
Mr. Lee confirmed the arrest on Thursday but has not issued any kind of public comment.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11969477/San-Francisco-police-arrest-fellow-tech-exec-murder-Cash-App-founder-Bob-Lee.html
